pipes

This is not the story of how we met…no, that will have to be a different post.

This is about the woman whom I have the privilege to love.

Soul is indescribable and yet the moment I think of her words and pictures fill my mind and I resemble some babbling idiot found on the street corners of DC.

She is so super caring, her soft brown eyes fill with emotion the moment she sees you are going through something.

Sarcasm is the other word that comes to mind quickly but – let us not think of this in some negative term..on the contrary – I am in awe of her sarcastic wit. For years I have tried to hone my own skills, which have always been in the shadow of my younger sister Sarah. But now…I think even Sarah has met her match! Her sarcasm is so sharp you could go away smiling, ignorant of the fact that she just un-sexed you before god and mankind alike. I mean – even the dog is flinching for you – its that serious.

Hilarious – Good heavens if there is someone who was designed for the stage – its Soul. She could do comedy in a heartbeat! Not the raunchy, tell it like the boys do, Margaret Cho type – no more like a combo of Betty White and Aisha Tyler (go ahead…do the mash up…I’ll wait while your brain ricochets around on that one in your skull).

She’s fiery, hot tempered and all of that passion in words is enacted in actions in life and love. (ye gods I’m a lucky woman!)

Her only child self unfortunately has a great deal to handle with my middle of seven kids Irish family from Philly. Add to that I have a legitimate hearing problem so not only do I talk over you but …I do so at great volume as well.

Now – we’re not so different as to be the Odd Couple but I will admit to many an Oscar day for me and Felix may whisper in Soul’s ear from time to time….that’s all I’m saying. 🙂

But here is the kicker – this delightfully mysterious woman left her life in New Jersey – where all of her work certifications are mind you (that’s another rant for another day about National vs. State…oy!), where all of her friends live, if not live much much closer, gave up her classic, candy apple red VW Bug, and moved to Ceciltucky Maryland for me. FOR ME??? Yes ladies and gents…the girl is insane. I know…I’ve told her this many a day. In addition she moved in with me, my twin 20 y.o. sons (they have since gotten their own place, my “broken” border collie, my senile cat, and two red-ear slider turtles. Oh and a lower living room that should the sump pump batteries die – floods when we have rain swell. *bling* Joy and rapture right? I mean – you’re packing your shit into take away bags right now just to get your ass over here sooner. Right? Squirrel pah-leez.

While living at here atShangri-La, Soul has been slowing transforming my house into our home. Please note – HOME and OUR – something I’ve been unable to do for the past 6 years of living here.

She is currently looking for work while taking the rare call from the Casino she works for in Atlantic City, NJ during peak season as a one-day masseuse. She’s doing this while prepping to take the National Certification exam for Body Work so she can then take the State exam for her Maryland State License. Can I just say …all of this is nothing but a cluster “f” to ensure that you who have just shelled out thousands of dollars in education, have been working legitimately in one state must now shell out thousands of additional dollars to then work legitimately in another state. The system is practically begging for people to work unlicensed! Thankfully Soul is also…a very law abiding kinda gal so …the shelling of funds to Maryland is in play.

Each day though I come home to this stunning creature, who spends considerable care on her appearances of herself and our home. She cleans things to such a level of detail that it looks better than when you bought it. She finds crud and dust that only a mouse would find…should one be accidentally chased through the house of course for there would be no reason to find one in our house.

She has cleaned, she has rearranged, she has researched, she has repaired, she has built. Prime example – I came home yesterday to find my Great-Aunt Ceil’s antique spindle legged chess table laying on its side on the stone floor of our lower living room. Big mouth me comes in with not so much as a hello but a …”um hunny, what’s wrong with the table” sorta thing. SHE WAS FIXING IT! *pout* and *insert TV Land awwwws here*

She has been replacing the nobs in the kitchen – one knob at a time. So you can walk in there one day and a week or so later – another nob has been changed out! Its that maddening level of detail that she sees and lives in and that I am *hanging head* oafishly oblivious to at times. Really there are times when I think she must have gotten smacked in the head with a mallet or something to be with me.

Collecting odd things is one thing I fell in love with about her. She collects the following:

cameras – preferably really really old ones that work but they no longer make any film

tobacco tins

any smoking instrument such as pipes or cigarette filter wands

antique car models (now this she may not actually collect, but she has a few wooden ones scattered artistically around the house

hats and purses – and Soul when you read this…yes you do. 🙂

cooking magazines (she has this adorable way of folding the page so it acts like a bookmark! – I’ve even taken to trying it though it feels unnatural to fold a book page)

English tea cups (and they MUST be English) hmmm…must find out why now. Curious.

In the home she has an eye for design and color – pretty similar to mine. We’ve only had one throw down argument over stair runners but …we recently saw this tile design that may make the whole debate moot!

She does what I used to do that drove others to the point of madness….she moves furniture around when I’m not home. *giggle*

This may seem like nothing but when you have a picture of your home in your mind’s eye and then walk in the door to find you’re in Alice’s Rabbit Hole – well…that evokes something now doesn’t it. And though I may seem to gawk and blink awkwardly …I really do like what you’ve done to the living room my darling…really! No really! …I’m completely serious now. 😉

On the sentimental side – this is the woman who has held me in her arms as I’ve wept like a lost child. She has laughed with me — not at me. She dives right in with both feet into my crazy schemes. She puts up with my outings that inevitably involve or are near mud and water. She has a true gift in her healing hands and truly can feel your pain. This is the woman who intends to live out her days with mine, who will hold my wrinkled old hand in hers when we are in our 80s, will laugh with me and not at me, until the end of our days.